by CBCG Athlete Amy VT
In 2009, an Australian triathlete named Shane bought a pair of wheels on eBay® from Chris Bagg in 2009. They got to chatting about coaching, and CBCG (we didn’t call it that, yet) was born, the original model simple: a one-coach shop to support Chris’ professional racing. By the middle 2010’s, though, things had changed: we grew, ran our first camp out of the back of a compact 2005 Scion xA, and made the first of several almost-business-ending mistakes. We needed help.
As with many businessy things, the solution appeared from an unexpected quarter. In 2016, Chris met Molly Balfe—who now owns 50% of the business outright—at a local coaches’ symposium in Portland. She came to one of our camps to run the swim sessions, joined us as a coach, became a minor shareholder a year later, and then assumed half the company in 2019. If that seems like a quick rise, it’s because Molly is a natural fit: she shares the CBCG vision and values of making athletes faster and happier. “Without Molly’s help I would have given up long ago,” Bagg says. “If you want to run a coaching company like a real company, where you pay taxes, and compensate your employees fairly, you can’t do it by yourself. Like a lot of founders, I have had some really tough moments during building the company—Molly made it possible for us to get to where we are.”
Molly and Chris, the 50/50 business partners who run CBCG
Just in time for Small Business Saturday, we’d love to both share our story and un-casually suggest the most ideal gifts for triathletes. SBS is an essential movement to combat large corporations’ monopolies, boost local economies, and defend our environment. It was actually created by American Express® and backed by the Obama administration, leveraging both AmEx’s and the government’s impact on consumer spending.† We at CBCG appreciate the movement since gifts for triathletes are easily found via large online retailers, preventing gift-givers from considering purchasing coaching, camps, swim analyses, or other goods (see below).
Our two longest running CBCG athletes Jenny Greeve and Joann Symonette
Today CBCG has grown to ten phenomenal coaches and staff. We run several multisport and swim camps around the country and recently opened the CBCGym in Portland. We are 85 athletes strong, seeking more who’d like to join our family and become happier, stronger, healthier, and faster. We do more, though! So if you aren’t yet enamored with our Small Business, here’s our self-serving list of the gifts for the triathlete in your life or you (just forward this bloggy to your peeps), just in time for Small Business Saturday.
BEST GIFTS
CBCGym Class Passes - come work with us at the gym! Maybe your athlete is looking for a morning spin class to get some saddle time during the dark and rainy days. Or they’ve heard about Daniel Silver’s awesome Open Gym model, which combines the individual attention of a personal training session with the community and price point of a group class. Whatever your indoor training needs, the GBCGym is here to help!
Swim analysis - holy perfect gift. From the top level pro to the total beginner, every single triathlete could benefit from a state-of-the art, expert, high-tech swim analysis including video from multiple angles, ear-to-ear real time feedback, sit-down consulting, and countless takeaways Click here to buy someone a swim analysis.
Bike fit - top level pros and beginners alike could benefit from the state-of-the art, expert, high-tech bike fit with our good friends (and fellow small business) Output Speedlab. Whether they’re considering a new purchase, want to refine their race positions, or want to fit one of their other bikes, we promise the cyclist or triathlete in your life would love you forever, so head here to book this perfect gift.
Coaching - we have gift certificates, obvi! If your loved one is a CBCG athlete, or it’s time for them to start with us, what a treat it would be to get her or him a one time consult, a nutrition assessment, one month, three months, or a year of CBCG coaching on you
Camp - we’ve been running camps across the country for a decade, now, and we’d like to think we’re pretty good at it. We partner with Wattie Ink. to put our campers in custom kits, arrange for amazing food cooked by Aaron Vinten of The Athletes Table, and set up your summer of racing with five great days of training. We only have a small handful of spots left, so move quickly.
You give this to your triathlete, you’re their hero for 2020 and beyond
Thanks for reading about the evolution of our Small Business, and for considering the best IOHO gifts for your triathlete or cyclist. If you’re personally craving one of the above gifts, let us know your family’s contact info and we’ll shock-and-awe them with hints and links.
† fbfs.com/learning-center/history-of-small-buisiness-Saturday